The Murder of Emmett Till Documentary - Essay Example

Seeking to digest and comprehend how society not only accesses the brutal and savage murder of an innocent African-American team but also condones the fraudulent innocence of the murderers is something that boggles the mind. In such a way, the following analysis will seek to provide something of a discussion and analysis of the more pertinent issues and relevant tidbits of information that were presented within the documentary entitled “The Murder of Emmett Till”. Furthermore, an analysis and discussion about whether or not this particular topic and/or part of history should be taught in high school will also be engaged.

Firstly, as has been stated, the most relevant hardship is with regards to seeking to understand how any society could not only access the murder of innocent black teens but also find no wrongdoing with regards to those acquitted of this horrific and brutal murder is nearly incomprehensible. Naturally, the documentary itself goes into a great deal of death concerning the racial prejudice, bigotry, and hatred that existed at that time. However, notwithstanding this, such a brazen defiance of morality and the criminal justice system still does not help the reader to gain an understanding of how such a crime could have taken place and gone completely and entirely unpunished; even in an era of horrific racial prejudice and a biased justice system.

Whereas a crime of passion has oftentimes allowed individuals to minimize the amount of time served whether punishment for a particular crime, the case of Emmett Till was premeditated and gruesome. Because Phil was hunted down, kidnapped, tied up, tortured, and then murdered, by two different individuals, it is clear that a crime of passion cannot or should not be related to the acquittal that place. Rather, the most obvious reason for such an equal place was because the jury was sympathetic to the overtly racist and bigoted interpretations of a Mississippi that still viewed the Civil War as the greatest loss to the white race and to the way of life that they experience even within their own time.

An interesting compliment that helps to prove the fact that this wasn’t what we would label a “hate crime” within the current era is the fact that Emmett was thrown into the river with a cotton gin tied around his neck. More than merely having a crime of passion dictate that the child was murdered by an obsessive and jealous husband, the nature of the fact that Emmett was viewed as overstepping the racial boundaries that he should have been observing was directly denoted in the fact that a machine for separating cotton from the scenes was used to sink his lifeless body in a local river. This was not done merely out of convenience; instead, it was done as a statement of the fact that as a young African-American, this place was working in the fields under the supervision and direction of whites.

With regards to answering the question of whether or not this is a relevant topic and should be taught within high schools, it is the firm belief of this author that it is the most relevant topic, and at least cases similar to this should most certainly be discussed. The ultimate reason underlying this is the fact that even though this particular case is only one within a great multitude of cases that represent horrific and abject racism within a deep South, it nonetheless helps to take a picture of why racial relations within the United States have continued to be such a dominant theme since the time of the end of slavery and/or the amendment to allow African-Americans the right to vote. Without a fundamental understanding of how bigoted individuals within society continue to perpetrate crimes and heinous actions upon their fellow citizens, it is impossible to craft an approach or a way forward in seeking to ameliorate these issues in the future. Read More